Epona's Pastures

Equine Place Of Nurture & Assistance

Epona - Protector of Horses

Epona is the gallo-Celtic horse goddess, protectress of all horses and foals. She was not only a goddess of horses, but also of mules and oxen. The name Epona means 'divine mare' or 'she who is like a mare'. Almost every stable had a small shrine for her which was presumably to protect the horses in them. Epona is the only Celtic goddess that made her way into the Roman empire where she was highly worshipped. She is shown as either sitting or lying on a horse, or standing among horses. Her symbol is the horn of plenty, the cornucopia and the Celtic Triad horse image.

Oh Queen Epona, Gentle white Mare
With thee I ride through nature
Friend of Mankind to Eternity
Helping Mother for all
On horsebacks I reunite with thee

Small images of Epona have been found in stables and barns all over Europe. A niche would be cut in the walls and a little statue of the Goddess would be found often garlanded with roses and sometimes with a mare’s head. The German legions made plaques depicting her in human form with a foal or feeding foals. In imagery Epona is normally portrayed as a woman either sitting on, or surrounded by, horses.

She may have been another form of the Great Mother Goddess as in some cases she is also often portrayed with a Cornucopia, a symbol of the land and fertility. She has also be portrayed as carrying keys, which may indicate a role in the underworld and accompanied with birds, often symbols of a happy otherworld. The Uffington White Horse may be one of the largest remaining monuments to Epona in the British Isles although it is not known for sure that it was carved by those who worshiped Epona.

Epona is known to be one of a very few Gaulish deities whose names were spread to the rest of the Roman Empire. This seems to have happened because Roman cavalry units stationed in Gaul followed her and adopted her as their Patroness. This may have started because many of the cavalry troops were conscripted from Gaul as they were superb horsemen. From Gaul the Romans took Epona with them including to Rome where she was given her own feast day on the 18 December. They worshipped her as Epona Augusta or Epona Regina and invoked her on behalf of the Emperor. She even had a shrine in the barracks of the Imperial Bodyguard.